NeoBand
Enhancing newborn safety with wearable temperature monitoring for babies that require emergency transport
The challenge
The first hours of a baby’s life are fragile and filled with uncertainty. In those critical moments, maintaining a stable body temperature between 36.5 and 37.5°C is essential. Neonatal hypothermia – defined as a drop in body temperature below 36.5°C – remains a critical challenge. It contributes significantly to severe neonatal complications, including infection, respiratory distress, low blood sugar and impaired neurodevelopment outcomes, and even mortality, particularly in prehospital settings.
Despite national guidelines emphasising thermal care of newborns, early detection and continuous temperature monitoring remain inadequate, especially outside of hospital. Current monitoring methods, such as intermittent axilla or rectal thermometry, are not designed for continuous use and are often too slow to detect dangerous fluctuations.
Even in well-equipped neonatal units, there are unique challenges with newborn care. For example, taking accurate readings from a newborn baby’s moist skin covered in vernix–a white waxy substance that protects against infection. Repeated handling for temperature checks can also cause stress and disrupt essential skin-to-skin bonding.
Recognising the urgent need to address these gaps, NeoBand Ltd sought support from CPI through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) SONNET programme to develop a groundbreaking wearable, non-invasive and continuous temperature monitoring device tailored specifically for newborns and use outside of hospital settings. We investigated the materials and components needed and developed a prototype device that could be scaled up for commercial manufacturing.
“I’ve worked in hospitals for years and believe that clinicians come up with lots of innovative ways to do things better. The stumbling block is getting them to come to fruition. I was looking for people to help me out, struggling, thinking this is never going to happen. CPI listened, they got it, and they’ve made it a reality.”
How CPI helped
- Provided specialist expertise in materials science and flexible electronics to identify the best materials and components that align with sustainability and scale-up requirements.
- Identified candidate electronic components, including a Near Field Communication (NFC) computer chip, battery and LED indicators.
- Supported concept design.
- Developed screen-printed flexible circuits.
- Encapsulated laser-cut circuits in 2‑part silicone using a 3D-printed mould.
- Refined the device through multiple iterations to ensure it withstood flexing.
- Reviewed relevant regulations, providing key recommendations.
Achievements
- Successfully designed and built a prototype aligned with the requirements.
- Demonstrated durability and temperature-reading accuracy in tests against the Tempa-DOT™ chemical thermometer currently used by paramedics.
- Progressed the technology from TRL Level 2 to 4.
- Enabled wireless temperature data transfer via NFC to a mobile app or computer.
- Developed an intuitive app for real-time temperature monitoring and data visualisation.
- Validated the device’s ability to continuously record and store temperature data over a 30-minute timeframe.
Impact
The NeoBand prototype has the potential to become a widely used clinical device that provides critical real-time temperature monitoring for newborns outside of hospital.
CPI’s expertise in materials science and flexible electronics was essential for designing, developing and testing the prototype device. Following a two-year innovation and proof-of-concept journey, the resulting device consists of flexible electronic components contained within a smooth silicone band that can fasten around a newborn baby’s chest.
These components include a temperature sensor, Near Field Communication (NFC) computer chip and LED indicator lights as well as battery power. The NFC allows temperature data to be transferred to a mobile app or computer near the band, whilst the LEDs provide an immediate indicator of whether the temperature is within the desired range by glowing green or red.
When tested against the standard thermometer currently used by paramedics, with a hot water bottle to simulate a baby’s body, the prototype was demonstrated to give accurate readings. The next stage is to test it alongside standard clinical and advanced hospital thermometers on human skin and, ultimately, in ambulance and paramedical settings.
NeoBand’s soft, skin-friendly, wireless thermometer will provide real-time temperature data, enabling early detection and intervention to prevent hypothermia when it matters most. It has the potential to improve neonatal care, reduce complications and save lives.
The technology could also have broader applications beyond newborn care, particularly for emergency care patients, vulnerable individuals, and the elderly — populations most at risk of hypothermia in out-of-hospital environments.
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